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 Expert
Posts: 1440
  
Location: Texas | I have a horse who needs to get more broke in the face. She works ok at slow speeds, but when I ask for more she tends to fight when I touch her face to ask her for rate. Anyway I have contimplated trying draw reins to help keep her collected and also soften her up in the face. Any ideas? |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 797
| I wouldn't use them for that personally. I'd use a d-ring or kimberwicke and do some dressage exercises. Basically take her head at a walk and squeeze her up into the bridle. Its VITAL to send her hard with your butt and legs foward. Slight, Vertical flexion and her back rounded. It's a give and take thing with your reins. Can't hold them all the time or they will brace in your hands but she needs to learn to be correctly broke in the bridle. You will see the most results by doing speed transitions while just doing groundwork. Ex. As you're riding around ask for a trot and take your reins up, press her up into the bridle and then when you're ready sit down and relax and squeeze your reins ( light bounces) back down to a walk. Keep doing this with at all speeds. Lope to trot, lope to walk, etc. This should make a HUGE difference. |
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 Queen Bee Cat Owner
Posts: 3629
Location: Way up North | I do use them but not much at all anymore. I will use a german martingale every once in a while to tune on one but not very often and definitely not everyday. You MUST use regular reins in conjunction with draw reins and that's something a lot of people don't do. I feel you get a horse hiding their face instead of figuring out how to be on the bridle correctly if you just use the draw reins and especially if they are used often. Great training tool if used right though. Make sure you are driving through with your legs just as much as using your hands too. |
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Expert
Posts: 1440
Location: Texas | When I really work her I hav been using a German martingale and she responds to that. I don't rider her in it all the time and was just planning on using the draw reins as a tool as well. She is my second horse that had been on the track and I believe that is part of the issue as she wants to lean on the bit. I believe we are just going through a period of growing pains when I started asking her for more so I am backing off and going back to basics. She is a super sweet mare and has wicked turns when she works. The joys of young horses, seasoning and growIng pains |
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  Keeper of the King Snake
Posts: 7622
Location: Dubach, LA | I saw four or five in draws at the barrel race yesterday. Never seen that before. I guess they are becoming "en vogue." I tried them once but couldn't get the feel of them. |
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 Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | Probrlhrse - 2014-01-11 9:38 PM I wouldn't use them for that personally. I'd use a d-ring or kimberwicke and do some dressage exercises. Basically take her head at a walk and squeeze her up into the bridle. Its VITAL to send her hard with your butt and legs foward. Slight, Vertical flexion and her back rounded. It's a give and take thing with your reins. Can't hold them all the time or they will brace in your hands but she needs to learn to be correctly broke in the bridle. You will see the most results by doing speed transitions while just doing groundwork. Ex. As you're riding around ask for a trot and take your reins up, press her up into the bridle and then when you're ready sit down and relax and squeeze your reins ( light bounces) back down to a walk. Keep doing this with at all speeds. Lope to trot, lope to walk, etc. This should make a HUGE difference.
^^^^This. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 797
| Three 4 Luck - 2014-01-12 8:54 AM Probrlhrse - 2014-01-11 9:38 PM I wouldn't use them for that personally. I'd use a d-ring or kimberwicke and do some dressage exercises. Basically take her head at a walk and squeeze her up into the bridle. Its VITAL to send her hard with your butt and legs foward. Slight, Vertical flexion and her back rounded. It's a give and take thing with your reins. Can't hold them all the time or they will brace in your hands but she needs to learn to be correctly broke in the bridle. You will see the most results by doing speed transitions while just doing groundwork. Ex. As you're riding around ask for a trot and take your reins up, press her up into the bridle and then when you're ready sit down and relax and squeeze your reins ( light bounces) back down to a walk. Keep doing this with at all speeds. Lope to trot, lope to walk, etc. This should make a HUGE difference. ^^^^This.
Three 4 Luck, it's the only way lol (I wish I had lived with them while I was in college and learned more)..and like someone else said draw reins will certainly get one ducking their head and hiding their face (behind the bit) which is a worse problem than you're currently dealing with. The off the track bit lugging is pretty easy to overcome. You need to constantly take her head and release it. Bounce your reins gently one at a time until she's where you want her. |
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 IMA No Hair Style Gal
Posts: 2594
| I have been working on getting my horse light in the bit and soft at high speeds.
At higher speeds he really likes to resist-especially going to the right.
An exercise that I have been doing that has really helped my horse to work and look like a barrel horse is this:
Lope/canter/spurt at a higher speed to first barrel
Any time BEFORE you get to the pocket, lightly ask the horse to come down to a trot, if the head comes up you used too much pressure
Sometimes you can stop, and then go on to your pocket...especially if the horse is getting a little chargy, or sometimes just ask for the downward transition and go on around the barrel.
On the way out ask for a spurt of speed and repeat like you did at the first, asking for a downward tranistion around the 2nd barrel.
You can also do this off the pattern by working the arena wall.
Along one side ask for a gait....and then when you get to the edge of the arena, ask for a downward transition and then do a circle...and continue on.
Clear as mud?
Me personally-I try to use as little as possible when it comes to using training aides.
When I start a horse I use a caveson and a running martingale for the firs thirty days, but after that...I try not to use tie downs, draw reins, what have you...
Because in my opinion it goes back to good training, you can't put something on a horse and expect it to be fixed.
Getting a horse light and soft takes years to achieve-and the more speed you ask-the more likely they are to resist. That is why speed/control is a great way to help get a horse light. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1218
Location: South MS | I love draw reins but the first thing I do when I want something softer in the face is this
I get a loomis/draw gag - put the horse in the round pen and lightly tie their head to the side and I lung them with the nose tipped in for about 5 minutes and then switch sides - I do this back and forth for about 20 minutes - if they want to get the head up I get my draw reins and hook the snaps between the front legs and then I adjust my reins either on the saddle hook wrapped around it or I may snap each side to where my breastcollar hooks to the saddle to make them bend at the pole and then I lung - I do this 5 days a week - then I ride with the loomis and german martingale or oring and draw reins - once they are soft and collected then I work on other skills - backing/sidepass/roll backs/etc...
My back hurts if I have to pull on one alot so this way they pull against themself - I always give them enough slack to reward themself though and I never leave them tied without me there |
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Expert
Posts: 1440
Location: Texas | Thank you for all the advice. Keep it coming! |
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